The Day the Wrold Stopped Turning
by Wolfdemon1941
Summary: ONE-SHOT. Follow four people as they live through one of the darkest days in history. Their actions save thousands. And they can't help but notice that they may be able to save each other.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story. **

**Hey guys, it's me again. So the topic in my U.S History class today was September 11. And I know it's nowhere near the actual remembrance day, but this story just kind of popped into my head. I mean to offend nobody here. To those who lost their lives, both in the air and on the ground, my deepest sympathies. **

**Again, if this offends anybody in anyway, please tell me and I will remove it.**

* * *

**Tuesday, September 11, 2001**

**7:30 A.M**

Sesshomaru Tashio entered the building complex that was JFK International Airport. He walked down the familiar hallways, Starbucks in hand, as he searched for the door that he had been entering for the last six years. Air Traffic Control. He found the door and balanced his coffee and donuts in one hand as he opened it.

His third shift man, James, was already packing up his things. The computer screen in front of the room showing dozens of tiny little diamonds that represented every scheduled flight on the eastern seaboard of the United States.

James hiked his bag over his shoulder. "She's all yours Sessh. See you in the morning."

James left and Sesshomaru settled into the comfortable wheelie chair. He put his headset on and tuned in to the world.

* * *

Miroku Houshi rolled away from his wife, Sango, as he searched for a pair of pants. He looked back at his sleeping wife and felt a stab of protectiveness. Being one of the NYPD's finest, he ran the risk every day of not coming home to her and his small son. But it was a risk his father had taken before him and it was a risk he was proud to take after.

His wife worked as a teacher for the local elementary school. Kindergarteners had a way of wearing on most people, but Sango lived for her students. Which was partially why she was so good with their child.

She stirred and rolled over.

"Going in already?"

Miroku whispered back, "Yeah, but I promise I'll be home early tonight. School doesn't start for another hour, you can get a few more minutes of sleep."

She put her feet on the floor and sat up, "No, you know Mushin will be up in ten minutes."

He smiled and nodded. He finished putting on his uniform and leaned over to kiss her on the lips.

"See you tonight. It's pizza Tuesday remember?"

Sango laughed quietly as Miroku headed for the door.

* * *

Inuyasha Tashio rolled from his small twin bed in his small apartment. The damn alarm was being annoying again and waking him up. He slammed his fist down onto the silence button. He raised his head full of unruly and long black hair. He shook himself awake as he headed for the bathroom.

He rubbed his violet eyes has he completed his morning rituals. Teeth, hair, face, bathroom. He grabbed the T-shirt labeled FDNY and pulled it over his head. The blue jeans followed. As he finished lacing up his boots he glanced at the family picture on his night stand. His parents, both at their summer house in Florida, smiled back at him. Next was Inuyasha himself, trapped in an affectionate noogie by his older brother Sesshomaru, his unusual silver hair flapping in the breeze.

He exited his building and made his way to the familiar coffee and paper stand where he always got a morning bagel and a medium black with two sugars.

There he met Miroku Houshi, his personal friend since high school.

Miroku turned, "Hey! Nice morning isn't it?"

Inuyasha nodded as he placed his order.

"Well don't jump to speak on my account." Miroku said.

"Sorry," Inuyasha told him, "Bad night."

Miroku nodded, "More paperwork?"

Inuyasha nodded. Divorce was always a messy business, especially when his bitch ex-wife Kikyo insisted on handling her part of the deal from her house in Paris.

"Kikyo wants half of my end of my parents' estate."

Miroku recoiled, "Hell no!"

Inuyasha nodded, "That's what I basically said in the paperwork."

Miroku laughed, "Look at us. Thirty years old and we still have women problems."

Inuyasha chuckled, "Sango having a problem?"

Miroku rolled his eyes, "She wants to redo the kitchen."

"So?"

"In pink."

"Oh."

Miroku laughed, "Yeah, it's a process. She knows I love her though. Well we'd better get going."

Inuyasha checked his watch. "Yup. See you tomorrow."

Miroku nodded, his mouth full.

* * *

Kagome Higurashi entered the lobby of World Trade Center; North Tower. Her job as a finance consultant required her to take the elevator all the way to the 90th floor every day. She had tried the stairs once to get some exercise.

And determined her usual weekend jog through Central Park was much more sensible.

She nodded the kind, old security guard at the front door.

"Good morning! Beautiful day isn't it?"

He nodded, "Especially when I'm only a week from retirement!"

She laughed and made her way to the elevator. The ride up took exactly three minutes. She stepped out onto her floor and surveyed her office. People milled around, starting equipment, filing papers, and getting one last run at the vending machine before the day started.

Her close friend Yura stopped on her way to her back office.

"Morning Kags!"

Kagome smiled back, "Morning Yura. How're the twins?"

She rolled her eyes, "Hungry. Like always."

Being a single mom would have ordinarily been a challenge. But for Yura, she had welcomed it, her so called husband being a "philandering dickhead" had showed her that she didn't need men to make her happy. Her two children saw to that.

Her children were self-proclaimed black holes.

Kagome laughed and headed to her cubicle.

* * *

**8:15 A.M**

Sesshomaru observed the little diamonds as they took off and began to fly across the screen. He smiled. Not a plane out of place. He felt like a conductor, overseeing a symphony of airborne transport that was powerful and observed by millions.

He settled back into his seat and removed his iPod from his pocket. His brother ought to be going into work by now. The poor guy was going through a nasty divorce and was in a tight spot financially. Sesshomaru had tried to be the supportive brother since their parents were so far away for the time being, but Inuyasha seemed determined to suffer alone. Apart from that cop friend of his and his buddies at the station house who Sesshomaru would bet new next to nothing about what was really going on in his brother's life.

His little dots scurried to and fro, a few late night flights just landing in their respective scheduled locations. Double checking that everybody was going to where they were supposed to and finding nothing out of order, he rose from his seat and prepared to make a trip to the vending machine.

Just then, the little blip labeled "AA 11" began to turn in another direction.

He sat up and did a quick refresh on the screen. The little plane continued to fly off course. He tried again.

Same result.

He shook his head. It was probably nothing. The pilot had probably encountered turbulence and had had to make a slight detour to avoid bad flying conditions. Or maybe there was a storm that had forced them around. Mechanical issues, problems with a passenger…

He flipped on open communications and grabbed a radio.

"AA 11, this is tower 375, confirm location, over?"

Static.

"AA 11, this is tower 375, confirm location."

Nothing.

He picked up the direct line to the head offices.

"Mark, this is Sesshomaru. I think I have a bug down here."

"_Not possible. Try a refresh." _

"I did. Twice."

"…_I'll be right down."_

* * *

Inuyasha sat in the rec room of the firehouse and watched the a morning news show as it aired. The morning was relatively quiet. Only a cat stuck in a tree was a detour from the usual daily activities.

Just as it should be.

He settled back into his chair and watched as the people on TV told him about why the world was such a good place to live in. a story about a young boy who had survived three days in the woods after being left behind at his campsite. He was found by park rangers and reunited with his parents. The happy family was hugging on screen.

_At least somebody can be reunited with those they loved…or thought they loved._

He thought back to a few months before when Kikyo had come to him bearing a small tube that read "positive".

_He hugged her tightly._

"_That's great! We're going to be parents! Do you want a boy or a little girl?"_

_She began to tear up._

"_Neither."_

_He lifted his head, "What?"_

"_Neither. You know I have to be in top shape for my job."_

"_Kikyo, you're a model. Photographers love a happy mommy to be."_

"_Not mine!"_

_He shook his head to clear it. "Well what you want?" God give him strength._

_She looked hopeful._

"_I can't be more than a few weeks along. We could—"_

"_No! Absolutely not, you are not going to do _that_!"_

_She drew herself up, "It's my body, I can do what I want!"_

"_It's OUR baby! And you are NOT killing it because it had the bad fortune to form inside you!"_

"_Why can't you understand?"_

"_Because I thought this was what we always wanted!"_

"_Not anymore!"_

Inuyasha sighed. Her prayers had been answered a few weeks later when the doctor had revealed it was a false positive. His heart constricted as he remembered her jumping for joy. Asking why he wasn't. The huge fight in the doctor's office lobby. Her smacking him across the face…

And finally her serving him with divorce papers.

The thought of finally becoming "dad" had terrified him at first. But as he thought about it, he began to feel the paternal instincts take over, and soon he became obsessed with being a good father.

He read books, watched documentaries, even went to people he knew and asked what to do.

Then they scheduled Kikyo's first OB/GYN appointment…

He heard the door to the lounge open and looked around. His ladder mate, Matt had poked his head in.

"Hey man! You up for round three of the national fireman's ping pong tourney?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Matt you just found that old table in your attic. It's hardly national."

Matt rolled his eyes. "So you gonna play?"

Inuyasha grabbed a paddle, "Prepare to eat plastic."

* * *

Miroku entered the precinct building, coffee and bagel in hand, and walked up to the third floor. His captain was holding the daily morning meeting in the conference room. The room had a full view of lower Manhattan. And the center piece was a crystal clear view of the WTC. The twin buildings glistening in the morning light.

The precinct house had been built in a time where efficiency took priority over looks. And so the good people who inhabited it had to deal with windowless offices, an AC that barely raised the thermometer half a degree, and big, open, box rooms, crammed to capacity with desks, computers, and people who tried to do six different jobs with only three programs.

He took the hallway leading to the conference room. The long narrow hallways were another annoyance sometimes, as several people tried to pass each other at the same time. Although they all knew each other, so where some would fight and yell, the people who worked here only smiled and went on their way.

He entered the conference room. "Hey fellas. The party has arrived."

Several pairs of eyes rolled.

The captain rapped his fist on the table. "Alright guys, I want to be out of here by 9:00. So let's get started."

Miroku grabbed a file by the door and sat down.

These morning meetings usually lasted about an hour, and were crammed with useless bits of information everyone already knew. Why the lights didn't work right on seventh, the key areas for traffic congestion, what to do if the lights went out. The list was endless.

Miroku took a sip of his coffee, this was going to be a long day.

* * *

**8:40 A.M**

"That's impossible. They say we can't get contact."

Sesshomaru was beginning to worry. So far he and Mark had tried ten times to establish contact with AA 11. There had been no answer and the plane was still heading in the wrong direction.

"Try the Air Force. They should know what's going on."

Mark nodded and picked up the phone.

"Anne? Yeah, get on the horn to the FBI. Tell them to contact the Air Force. We have a possible target on the wrong flight path. Scramble a few recon planes. I want to know what the hell is going on."

As Sesshomaru watched the display, the little red light went out. AA 11 was offline.

"_Mark!"_

* * *

Kagome happily typed on her computer, her numbers falling directly into place. Her iPod was on full blast and the day was turning out to be fantastic. Her figures were lining up perfectly, her cat had recently been pronounced "flea free", and she had a scheduled dinner date with her parents and her brother that night. Taco Bell Tuesdays were always fun, even when she was a kid.

She had taken the job at the WTC shortly after the bank firm she had worked at had officially declared bankruptcy, even though the manager had just bought a shiny new Mercedes. The investigation had led to the bank being shut down, her manager arrested, and her being terminated from employment in the house cleaning sweep.

She looked up to see several of her co-workers gathered around the window.

She got up and found Yura.

"What's going on?"

Yura pointed. "See that plane."

Kagome found it and nodded.

"She's too low."

Kagome jerked around, "What?"

"She's too low. JFK is the other way. And she's descending fast."

"You think it's some sort of mechanical error?"

"Maybe. But all I know is that she's going to land on a place not regularly frequented by jetliners."

Kagome looked toward the phone, "Should we call somebody?"

Yura shook her head, "They would know by now if the pilot's got any sense."

Their eyes glued to the plane in the sky, the people on floor 90 didn't hear the phone call ordering them to head for the stairwell.

Kagome tapped Yura on the shoulder, "Is it me, or is it getting closer."

Yura nodded, white as a ghost

Closer and closer. Lower and lower.

The noise level began to rise around her. People were getting out their phones, taking pictures and video. Some were trying to judge where it would land.

Kagome backed away, "Maybe we should get back."

A man on the far side of the room pointed out, "Hey, isn't that plane getting a bit to clos—"

* * *

**8:46 A.M**

Miroku sat, head in his hands as he listened to the captain drone on and on about traffic regulations and the points of congestion for the day.

_Big deal, accidents happen. No let me go to work._

The captain droned on. "And for total light failure our procedure is—"

"_Holy shit!"_

Miroku jerked up, "What?"

A young officer was pointing out the window. The captain turned.

"What now Jameson—holy mother of God!"

Miroku could only gape at the ball of smoke and fire billowing from the tower. After a few seconds, the room shook with the report of the explosion.

Miroku turned toward Jameson. "What happened? Did you see?"

He nodded, white as a ghost, "Looked like a plane."

"What!"

He nodded, "A commercial jet plane. She just crashed right into the building."

The captain grabbed a phone. "Janet, get me the fire department, the mayor, and the national guard. The North tower of the WTC just exploded. I want all my people, all the city's people, and everyone else who's available downtown now!"

Miroku threw the files to the floor and raced to his squad car.

* * *

Inuyasha grunted in victory as the little ball sailed past Matt.

"Ha! What's that now? 7 to 3?"

"Shut up man."

"Oh come on. Sore loser."

"I know you cheated—"

"Guys!"

Another man raced into the room.

"Gear on now?"

Inuyasha bolted up. "What?"

The man gulped. "The Trade Center exploded."

Inuyasha and ten other men gaped in shock and disbelief.

"What do you mean it _exploded?_" Inuyasha demanded.

The man raced for the TV and turned it on. Black smoke filled the screen and sirens wailed.

The entire room gazed in silence. The sudden wail of their emergency alert siren woke them from their stupor.

Inuyasha flew to the garage, pulling on the regulation brown suit and helmet. Most of the firehouse was already there, getting onto the trucks.

Inuyasha grabbed Matt. "You're with me. Grab the rest of our team and let's haul ass!"

* * *

Sesshomaru rebooted the system for the fifth time.

"She's still gone Mark. I don't know what's happening!"

"Me neither! I'll call the technicians. They should be able to fix whatever this is before it gets worse—"

"HEY!"

Two heads jerked up. A man came barreling into the room.

"You guys reported a glitch right? A lost plane?"

They both nodded.

"I think you need to see this, guys."

He flipped on the TV.

Sesshomaru stared in horror at the column of smoke and fire coming from downtown. He looked at the last point the plane had been on his screen before it had disappeared. He looked at the TV again.

He had lost his plane somewhere in lower Manhattan.

The World Trade Center was on fire.

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Dear God, no…"

"Sesshomaru! I got another one here! UA 175 is going off course!"

Sesshomaru turned around so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash.

"Get me Homeland Security. We're not dealing with an accident. Someone's doing this on purpose. And God help us if we don't find out who and stop them."

* * *

Kagome lifted her head. She could barely breathe with all the smoke. Her ears rang and her whole body hurt. She could feel the heat of the flames as they devoured the building around her. She remembered seeing the plane come closer and closer until someone had screamed for everyone to get down and cover themselves.

Then it had hit.

She would never forget the sound of the explosion as it had rocked the entire room and thrown everyone to the floor. The noise was deafening and it had literally felt as if the world was being ripped apart.

She turned her head. All around her people lay. Most not moving. She noticed she was not majorly hurt except a bump on her head and a few scrapes from where she had hit a desk when she fell. Others were not so lucky.

She looked around for Yura and saw her hanging over a desk, a line of blood streaming from her mouth. She didn't look to be breathing.

The realization that Yura was most likely dead hit Kagome and she tried to scream for help but the smoke filled her lungs.

She painfully hauled herself to her feet and looked around. The office was on fire in several places and the power was out, but other than that, the room wasn't crumbling around them…yet. She stumbled toward Yura. Her friend lay motionless across the table. But on closer inspection, Kagome saw the faint rise and fall of her chest.

She shook her. "Yura? Yura? Wake up, come on! We have to get out of here!"

Finally, her friend raised her head.

"Kagome? What happened?"

"I don't know. But we need to get out of here. Can you stand?"

Yura nodded and shakily stood. "What about everyone else?"

They quickly went from person to person, checking for a pulse, looking for any signs of life. After ten minutes of finding nothing, they decided to head for the lobby.

"There's nothing we can do for them now. We'll get help on the ground." Yura said.

They exited the office and Kagome hit the elevator button.

Nothing.

She looked at Yura. "The elevator must be offline."

Yura nodded, "We'll have to use the stairs."

"But the others. We might not make it."

Yura shook her head, "If we stay here then they will surely die. Us too. This is our only chance, you have to trust me on this."

Kagome nodded. "I do. Alright, let's go. The sooner we get going, the sooner we get help."

Yura looked at the door labeled "staircase".

"89 floors. Straight down."

* * *

Miroku exited his squad car at the foot of the towers and looked around. The entire vicinity was covered in soot, dust, and debris. He looked up at the gaping hole in the side of the building and the flames billowing out from the entire top of the 110 story structure.

He spotted the NYPD command post in the lobby and raced in. An old man was talking to the Captain.

"A week from retirement and then this happens!"

The captain calmly questioned the man and established a plan of action. He looked around and spotted Miroku.

"Alright Miroku, here's the deal. We got the FDNY coming in about thirty seconds. They'll get up top and evacuate those who can't get out by themselves. We stay down here and establish a perimeter around the building and keep the company at bay."

Miroku nodded and headed outside where a roadblock was going up all around the building. Squad cars lined the streets and officers ushered people off the streets and down away from the scene. A line of people covered in soot slowly made their way out of the North Tower.

Employees evacuating, thought Miroku as he raced to help. All around people were covered in white ash and soot from head to toe.

He caught up to the first person.

"How many more of you are there?"

The man gazed at him with a faraway look. "Plane…hit…got to get…everybody…out."

A woman behind him answered. "We're just the second floor. There's 108 left to go, and everything above 93 is completely blocked off."

The sound of sirens made them turn around. Miroku watched as Inuyasha and eleven other men got out of three trucks and headed toward the lobby.

Inuyasha stopped beside Miroku. "What's the situation?"

Miroku relayed his information.

Inuyasha nodded and grabbed a young man walking up beside them.

"Matt. I want three teams up those stairs. We check floor by floor and get everyone out. The first team handles the bottom half. Second gets the middle. I'll lead the team that goes up top. There's people trapped up there and we may need heavy equipment so alert the chief to get us some Jaws."

The young man nodded. "I'm coming with you."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No kid, you stay here and help people coming out. I got this."

Matt shook his head. "I'm not letting you go up there without me. You may need help."

"And I'll have it. Now stay here."

"Dammit! I want to help! And you can't make me stay here!"

Inuyasha raked his hand through his hair, asking for patience. Finally he let loose a big sigh.

"Alright, you can come up, but you stay on my ass and you do what I say, when I say it. Got it?"

Matt nodded. Inuyasha turned to Miroku.

"You have the perimeter?"

He nodded. "Captain's orders."

Inuyasha looked up at the task ahead. "Alright. I'm gonna go. Wish me luck."

He started to walk when he was pulled back. He looked behind him. Miroku was giving him a serious look. He grabbed Inuyasha's shoulders and squeezed.

"You come back. Safe. You got it?"

Inuyasha nodded and turned.

Miroku raced back to the lobby. The captain had set up a triage for the wounded and was helping EMS administer treatment. He looked up as Miroku approached.

"Well?"

"I just met with first responders. They've sent up teams to help with the evacuation. With those who need help."

The captain nodded and turned back to the wounded.

Miroku stumbled over the masses of wounded outside, looked up at the sky, and closed his eyes, willing himself to wake up and this to all be just a bad dream.

He opened his eyes just as plane number two smacked into the South Tower.

* * *

**9:03 A.M**

Sesshomaru tracked the little marker reading UA 175 until it reached the tip of the island. He knew where it was headed and felt powerless against it.

"Mark?" he said, his voice hoarse.

Mark turned around. "Yeah." The man looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"TV."

They turned toward the TV and watched. From the right side of the screen, a small object appeared. Mark jerked around.

"NO! No, don't say it. Don't even—"

He stopped as he watched the jet impact.

"God, please no! Not again! Who in the hell would do this to us?"

Sesshomaru looked at his screen with renewed resilience.

"I don't know yet. But I'll be damned if I'm not going to find out."

Mark watched the screen with a look shock. The camera held a close up of the burning hole in the second tower.

"May God have mercy on their souls."

* * *

The whole building lurched. Inuyasha grabbed a stair rail for support.

"What the fuck just happened? Is it collapsing?"

One of his men got on the radio. After a few minutes he reported, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Another plane just hit the South tower."

The whole company stopped. They looked at the young man in horror.

Inuyasha turned once again upward.

"Come on. We've got to get to the top. Those guys don't have much longer."

The team turned with him and renewed their climb up the stairs.

* * *

"Come on Kagome! We're almost there!"

"No we're not. We're on floor 75."

"Well excuse me for trying to boost morale."

Kagome smiled. "Sorry. I know. And I'm trying. But this smoke is just…"

"I know. But hopefully it won't be as bad down lower."

Kagome sure hoped so. She didn't know how much longer she could take it before her already battered body finally gave out.

She followed Yura to the next set of stairs.

* * *

"Get those people out, now!"

"I need a medic over here!"

"Morphine!"

Miroku spun around. So much to do. So many people that needed help already.

And some bastard had just made it even worse.

EMT, police, firemen, and civilians raced about, some trying to escape, some trying to go back into the fray. And it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened.

He stopped to help a man carry a wounded woman to the field hospital. She was writhing and screaming in pain.

"What's wrong?" Miroku asked the man.

"Ceiling fell on her. Broke her legs."

Miroku helped lay the woman on the countertop that served as a makeshift examination table and went off to the next job. How many, he wondered, how many more were going to come out of those doors leading up?

And how many wouldn't?

Sirens blared in the distance as emergency responders from other counties and cities came to help. New York's hospitals were already beginning to fill up and there were no other places to transport the wounded. The other hospitals would be full in no time as they were nowhere near the size of the ones downtown.

A fireman rounded the corner, a woman in his arms. She hung limply, like a doll. Miroku rushed to the man and realized he looked pale. Really pale. He checked for a pulse on the woman and felt none.

"Where did you find her?" He asked.

The fireman looked down at his charge. "Outside."

"Hit by debris?"

He shook his head.

"No, she—she—." He stopped.

"She what?" Miroku asked.

The man gulped and looked Miroku straight in the eye.

"She jumped."

Miroku's eyes went wide. "From how far."

"Looked to me like about 102."

"102 feet?"

The man shook his head.

"No. Floor 102."

Miroku's blood ran cold. Was it that desperate up there? Were there really no other options?

"And she's not the first."

"How many are there?"

"They've been jumping for about ten minutes now. We've ordered all civilians away from ground zero."

Miroku nodded.

"Take her to the medics. They'll know what to do."

The man turned away. Miroku radioed the captain.

"_What Miroku? We're kind of busy here!"_

"They've started to jump , sir."

"_Jump? From how high?"_

"The last one looked like about floor 102."

"_Dear God."_

"I know."

Miroku hung up the mic. He returned to the medics, helping in any way he could, while praying there would be no more jumpers. That lonely 10 second journey had to be one of the worst ways to go. But when you considered your choices…

He shook his head. He didn't want to think about it.

* * *

**9:30 A.M**

Inuyasha climbed and climbed and climbed. He was sure he had reached the moon by the time he allowed his team their five minute break. Breaking between climbing was dangerous, both to the people above and them. But if they didn't stop once in a while, by the time they reached the top they would be in no condition to do anything.

Voices carried down to him.

"Come on Kagome. Just a little farther. Then we can rest again."

"I'm sorry Yura. Just go. I'll be right behind you in a second."

Inuyasha called out.

"Hello up there! Are you alright?"

The first voice answered back.

"Yes, for now. But Kagome here inhaled a lot of stuff and she's getting weaker. Who are you?"

"FDNY ma'am. We're here to get you out."

"Thank God! Kagome they're here for us! Kagome? Kagome? Shit! She's collapsed!"

Inuyasha was up the steps in a heartbeat. A woman was leaning over another woman's body, presumably the "Kagome" she had mentioned.

He knelt down. "Are you Yura?"

"Yes and this is Kagome."

Inuyasha looked down at the woman. His eyes widened. While she was covered in soot and smelled like smoke, she was quite beautiful. Her long hair, presumably black although you couldn't tell from the dust, was matted and filthy but Inuyasha for a moment wondered what it would look like in the sunlight.

He shook his head to clear it.

"I need a mask up here."

He placed the oxygen mask over the young woman's face and pressed the button. After a while, her chest started to rise and fall in a more normal pattern. Her eyes flickered open.

Inuyasha forgot the button for a moment. Her blue eyes stared right into him. The burning metal and smoke fell away for a moment as he looked into her eyes.

She removed the mask from her face.

"Thank you. I'm alright now."

She tried to stand and failed.

Inuyasha caught her. "Matt! Take Yura and head back down. I'll make sure Kagome gets down safe."

Matt jumped up. "No! I'm not leaving you up here! We go together like you said!"

"Change of plans kid. Get the rest out while we follow behind. We won't be far behind."

Matt was about to protest again before Inuyasha asked again. "Please?"

Matt grew silent for a moment. The he raised his hand and placed on his boss' shoulder.

"I'll take them to the lobby. I'll get the woman and the others out. But I'm not going out those doors until I see you come down those steps."

Inuyasha grasped the young man's hand. "Stay safe."

Matt returned to the group.

"Alright! Boss says we need to go back down and get this woman to safety."

"What about the boss?"

"He's getting the other one."

"Yura looked Inuyasha in the eye. "She'll be okay?"

He gave her a thumb up as Matt led her away.

"Come on ma'am. Let's get you down those stairs."

Inuyasha watched the team disappear down out of sight before turning back to Kagome.

"Alright. You ready?"

She nodded and tried to stand.

Inuyasha grabbed her. "Whoa! Not so fast. We're doing this my way."

"Which is?"

He scooped her up in his arms.

She blushed. "Oh…"

Kagome was burning up, and not just from the heat of the blaze. The fireman who had volunteered to stay behind with her was absolutely edible. Even the horror happening around her couldn't hide the fact that the man was handsome. His black hair was hidden under his hat and coat but his violet eyes were amazing.

She wondered if her makeup still looked decent.

_Come on girl! This _definitely _isn't the time or the place!_

She hung on to his neck as he descended the stairs.

* * *

Miroku hurried another group out of the building and out onto the street to escape. There couldn't be that many more up there, he thought. How many had they already brought down?

Word had come in that the Pentagon had also suffered a similar fate. And another plane had gone down in Pennsylvania. The good news was that it was overrun by a group of heroic passengers and it crashed into a field before it could hit its taret. How many more had to die before whoever it was that was doing this was satisfied?

The second tower evacuation force had been deployed. However the work there was significantly less, as those inside had a longer window to evacuate before the plane hit. However, there were still people trapped and they had to be helped.

He noticed Matt, Inuyasha's man, standing silent in the lobby, his face focused on the doors leading up. He didn't flinch as a crowd barreled past him to get out. He just kept staring at the door. Miroku was about to leave him to his own devices when his radio went off.

"_All units evacuate all wounded from the area. The area is no longer stable. I repeat, all units and wounded evacuate the area immediately."_

Miroku approached the fireman.

"Hey. They've declared the area unstable, orders are to get the wounded and get out."

The man shook his head.

"Come on. It's okay, I know you must have seen some bad stuff up there—"

"I'm not going crazy. My boss is still up there and I'm not leaving until I see him come down."

Miroku stopped. "Inuyasha's still up there?"

He nodded. "Stayed behind to help some woman."

Miroku took a deep breath. Now _he_ wanted to stay and make sure his friend came out alive. But orders were orders and he had thousands more to think about.

He took the man's shoulder.

"Orders are orders. We have to get out."

"I'm fine right here."

Miroku's headache got considerably worse. Half of him wanted to stay right there with Matt and watch the door. The other half wanted to grab the man and drag him, kicking and screaming, from the building.

He opened his mouth to say something when the rumbling started.

They both froze.

"What's that?" Matt asked.

"I don't—"

"GET OUT NOW! IT"S COMING DOWN!"

The cry could be heard from across the already deafening noise in the lobby. An officer was sprinting from person to person, ordering them outside. He got to Miroku and Matt.

"The South Tower's coming down! Get out now!"

Having no other choice, Miroku grabbed Matt's arm and dragged him, kicking and screaming, from the building.

They both watched in horror as the 110 story building to the South crumbled to the ground.

* * *

The shuddering building rocked them both to the core. Inuyasha knew instantly what happened.

"What was that?" Asked a small voice.

He knew he had to keep her calm.

"Just a pipe bursting. These old water pipes burst with heat."

"Maybe the water will help put out the fires."

He smiled despite himself, "Yeah. Maybe."

They were on floor 53. The walk down had been excruciating, especially for Inuyasha, having to carry Kagome. They took five minute breaks every ten floors. Three more to go and he could rest.

He looked down at the woman in his arms. She really was pretty, he thought. If this were any other time, her number would be in his pocket by now. But he doubted almost dying would be a very romantic way of asking the lady out. And besides, she probably had a man in her life. Why would she bother with him?

Floor 50 came blessedly quick. Inuyasha put his charge down so she could practice standing and walking. She was getting better every time, but he still had to steady her from time to time.

She thought of a way to relieve some of the tension.

"Not my worst first date."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow.

"I mean," She said, "I could always say it was an experience like no other."

He chuckled.

She spoke again. "So what lucky woman have I just slandered by making that comment?"

He shook his head. "Nobody."

Kagome was both shocked and a little relieved. He wasn't attached?

"Seriously? I figured you'd have women falling off you."

He chuckled. "Well there is a woman who wants to fall off me as quick as possible."

"Who?"

"My ex-wife."

"Someone broke up with _you_?"

He smiled. "I know, hard to believe isn't it?"

Their five minutes were over, so Inuyasha moved to pick her up again. By now she knew the drill and didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck and hang on tight.

"What are you, a slob?" She asked.

"Haha. No. Actually the reason was I was the exact opposite."

"She didn't like a clean house eh?"

"No she didn't want to be a mother."

Kagome froze, "What?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Didn't want the baby she and I had created. Came to me crying with the test tube in her hands. She said it would ruin her career."

"What a bitch."

"Ha! Yeah, she wanted an abortion before the little guy even resembled a kid. Hey keep talking, the floors go by faster that way."

She smiled, "Will do. Is it bad that we're smiling and chatting while the building falls down around us?"

"Lady, I think that our chatting is the only thing keeping the building from falling down on us. Keeps us occupied so we don't think about it."

The next twenty floors went by quickly as well, Inuyasha composing innocent chatter as the world collapsed around them. Kagome offered information about herself and her family, Inuyasha doing the approached the sign on the landing labeled "30".

"Hey," Inuyasha said, "Floor 30. We're almost there!"

The rumbling started again.

Inuyasha froze and looked up. He knew without a doubt in an instant what it was, and he prayed it would stop at a floor high above them. But all the hoping and praying in the world wouldn't stop the inevitable. The groaning and snapping of metal got louder and louder.

"Kagome, hang on. We have to make a detour."

He sprinted down another twenty floors at a pace that Olympic runners would envy.

"It's that noise again! What is it? You know, don't you? Tell me!"

He stared her straight in her beautiful blue eyes.

"The building is collapsing."

She stared at him in horror. Then she started panicking.

"No! No, no, no, no, no no. That's not what's happening! It's just the pipes! Like you said!"

"I just said that to keep you from freaking out! Now it's happening again and I can't hide it this time."

Kagome was sobbing.

"We're going to die! All this for nothing! All my work, my schooling. My life is for nothing. I finally meet a really hot guy and then what? I have to die!"

She was babbling and making nonsense. Despite his best efforts, Inuyasha couldn't get her to calm down. He ducked inside a janitor's closet.

"Kagome, listen! We're not going to die!"

She kept right on sobbing. Her grip was loosening. She was bawling her eyes out and he couldn't think straight. So he did the only logical thing to shut her up.

He kissed her.

Right on the mouth he kissed her. It was meant to keep her quiet so he could think but he indulged longer that he should have.

Kagome went dead still. Was she hallucinating or was Inuyasha kissing her? Nope, his wonderful mouth was real as he used his tongue to ask entrance into her mouth. She granted it without a second thought. She kissed him long and hard and they both paid no attention to the growing noise level.

Inuyasha pulled back.

"Kagome. If we don't make it out of this, just know you were the best thing to happen to my miserable life in a long time."

She gasped as they heard a deafening snap of metal supports from above.

With no time left to spare, she slammed her mouth back onto his again.

They were still locked together when the world came down upon them.

* * *

"**NOOOOOOOOO!"**

Miroku and Matt screamed in agony as the metal structure finally gave way and came crashing down.

With Inuyasha and Kagome still inside.

They fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces. Their eyes frantically searching the cloud of ash for two lone figures stumbling out of the wreckage.

But none came.

People screamed and ran as the cloud of death billowed toward them, but not the two men on the street floor. They stood, mesmerized by what had just happened.

Matt fell to his face. "He said he'd come back. He said he be right behind me. And I left him. I left him to die. God why?"

Tears ran freely down Miroku's face. Tears for Inuyasha and Kagome, tears for the Pentagon, tears for the heroes of flight 93, tears for the heroes and victims of the two buildings before him that had been, only a few hours ago, standing tall and proud.

He didn't notice the paramedics that slowly guided both him and Matt to the ambulance. He didn't remember passing out on a gurney. All he remembered was the image of watching his best friend go down in a mass of mangled steel and dust.

* * *

**10:30 A.M**

Sesshomaru and Mark stared blankly at their screen. Four planes. Four planes, three buildings, and two and a half thousand lives had been destroyed in a matter of an hour. And all they could do was watch.

No amount of effort had been able to gain contact with any of the flights. They were later told that the hijackers had communicated with other offices, saying they had bombs on board and were making demands.

They had watched helplessly as the towers fell, one by one.

The fact that his brother was probably down there didn't occur to Sesshomaru until later. He froze in realization and leapt for the phone, ready to call Inuyasha's work and demand to talk to him. He stopped though. They probably had enough to deal with, and if he was alive, Inuyasha would be in no condition to talk after what had just happened. He placed the phone back into the cradle.

"You think we'll end up in Hell?" Mark asked.

"Why?"

"Because we just let two and a half thousand people die."

Sesshomaru rounded on him.

"This isn't your fault! It isn't my fault. We did everything possible! So don't you dare stand there and tell me we're going to Hell! We're only observers!"

Mark just watched the TV.

Sesshomaru sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hello? Anne? Get me Homeland Security. We have tapes they'll want for their investigation."

He hung up the phone and turned to stare at the computer. On his program, they were just dots and letters and numbers. The computer didn't care about what they meant. Losing four little dots seemed so insignificant, like he would have still passed the test.

But the truth was, four little dots had damn near ended the world.

* * *

**3:00 P.M**

A fireman dug through the wreckage where the North tower had stood. Now all that was left was a mangled mass of metal and ash. The president had declared a state of National emergency two hours ago and had vowed vengeance. Rumors had begun to surface that a group of radicals in the Middle East who called themselves Al-Qaeda had claimed responsibility for the attack.

A flag hung, tattered and worn, but there from a pole on ground zero. The young fireman had watched them raise it, thinking back to the old war movies and the video of the Marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi. It sent a defiant message to the terrorists: We're still here, and we'll fight to the end for justice.

The young man dug through where the stairwell would have been. He stumbled across a sign that had the number 10 on it. Floor ten, he thought. He dug some more until he found a door that read "utility". He grabbed the door and yanked.

Underneath were two bodies. One man, dressed in a FDNY uniform, and one woman.

He jumped down and assessed the situation. At first glance they appeared gone from the Earth.

But then he felt a pulse.

Two pulses.

They were still alive. Barely, but alive.

He scrambled to the top of the mountain of rubble and cupped his hands over his mouth.

"**HEY! WE GOT TWO MORE OVER HERE! THEY'RE STILL ALIVE!"**

* * *

Inuyasha cracked his eyes open. He first saw a white ceiling, and then heard a beeping noise.

_So this is heaven huh?_

Wait, this wasn't heaven. Heaven didn't have people crying. He slowly turned his eyes.

He saw his parents, Sesshomaru, Miroku, Sango, Yura and Matt sitting at the foot of his bed. They were all crying.

He tried to raise his head but couldn't just yet. So he tried to speak.

"He..y. Don't…be…cryin'…for…me..yet. Gulp. I ain't dead yet."

They all raised their heads, their tear-stained faces full of shock and disbelief.

"Inu..Inuyasha?" His mother asked.

He managed a weak nod.

A cheer went up as he was surrounded and hugged and patted.

He held up a hand. "What about—"

"Kagome?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha nodded.

"She's down the hall. She woke up twenty minutes ago, asking where you were." He winked. "Looks like you snagged a good one this time. And in the middle of a disaster. You dog you."

His mother called a nurse.

"Nurse! He's awake!"

A nurse and a doctor rushed in. the doctor performed a few cognition tests.

"How you feeling son?"

"Like a building fell on me."

The doctor listened to his heart. "She's still tickin' strong alright. I'm happy to say that you only sustained a sprained leg. How in the Hell you and the lady survived like this is beyond me. Looks like you two had someone looking out for you."

A minute later a woman staggered into the room. They all turned their heads.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked in disbelief.

She nodded.

While dressed in a hospital gown, she was still beautiful. They had cleaned her up and her long black hair flowed freely down her back. Inuyasha's heart rate increased.

His guests all got up.

"I think we'll give you two a minute." Miroku said as they exited.

Kagome came to sit at his bedside.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." He smiled back.

Kagome got her first good look at him. His long black hair cascaded down his front like a dark river. His eyes, while dull with fatigue, were still their brilliant violet color.

Unable to stand it any longer, Kagome launched herself into his arms.

"Inuyasha! God, I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again!"

He rubbed her back as she sobbed.

"Shhh. It's okay now. We're here. We're alive. It's going to be okay."

She continued to cry for a moment before she lifted her head.

"I remember what you said. Before the—before we passed out. You said I was the best thing to happen to you in a long time."

Inuyasha nodded.

"I can't remember feeling the way I do about you. And never so quickly. But I don't think it's a bad thing."

Kagome shook her head, smiling. "No. It's never a bad thing."

She leaned her face toward his. Their lips were inches from each other when the door burst open.

"Hey love birds! Sorry to interrupt but Kagome is needed back in her room. Her family's here."

Kagome whipped around. "Mom and brother are here?"

Miroku nodded. Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"Go." He said, "I'll be here when you get back."

She mentally said the hell with it and kissed him good and proper right in front of a whistling Miroku.

She pulled away after a moment.

"I will come back."

"Always?" Inuyasha asked.

She nodded. "Always."

* * *

**September 11, 2012**

**8:30 A.M**

Inuyasha and Kagome sat on the couch, watching the memorial ceremony on the TV. It was hard to believe that it had been eleven years already. Their lives had changed so much.

Kagome twisted the gold band on her finger. She smiled as she remembered the days after she and Inuyasha were released from the hospital.

Inuyasha had taken her on their "second" date to a popular restaurant. While Inuyasha had returned to work immediately, helping with the cleanup and rescue, he dedicated most evenings to her.

Then, three years later, he had proposed on the balcony of the apartment they had shared. It was the most magical evening of her life.

She looked at the door to their bedroom and thought about the little boy down the hall. Their son had come as no surprise after being married only a year. When she had told Inuyasha he was going to be a father, he had nervously asked if she was okay with the baby. Frantically nodding her head "yes" remembering what his ex-wife had done to him, she rushed into his arms and cried in happiness that their lives were getting so much better year after year.

Sesshomaru had met a young flight stewardess named Rin and they had dated for two years before Sesshomaru had popped the question. They now had two children. One boy, one girl.

Matt any Yura had surprisingly hit it off. Matt loved her kids and had begun to spend more and more time at Yura's apartment. It came as no surprise when Yura appeared with a diamond on her finger.

Miroku and Sango had lived happily, their son growing up into a fine young man, aspiring to be a police officer one day and save a thousand people like his daddy did.

Inuyasha grasped his wife's hand.

"Eleven years."

She nodded, "Yes, but look how we all turned out."

"Pretty good, huh?"

She laughed, "Pretty good huh."

He sighed, "So much has changed. They finally got the sonovabitch responsible."

"And you went right back to pulling cats from trees." Kagome laughed.

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it. Those cats usually belonged to some pretty attractive women—ow! Okay, so they were nowhere near as kind and gorgeous as my wife. Happy?"

She nodded, laughing. "Very."

Inuyasha got up. "Well, we should go. There's that memorial thing this evening with all the guys."

Kagome nodded. The yearly memorial dinner to honor their fallen brothers and sisters had taken place every year since '03. Inuyasha and Miroku had arranged it as a joint plan between the fire department and the police department.

Kagome got up and kissed her husband.

"What was that for?"

She smiled.

"For being the best thing to happen to me in a long time."

* * *

**Hey guys! I wanted to try my hand at one-shots! How do you think I did? Again, if this bothers anybody, tell me and I'll take it down. **

**Please R&R!**


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